Futilities
by Darth-Suzi
Summary: OwenBeruLuke. Basically an exploration of Owen's thoughts on the last day before he died. Written in future tense.


This is something that I wrote a while ago. Not sure, when, maybe a couple months ago. It was basically an attempt to write in future tense, which had varying results. Please review. Critisism is very welcome.

Dawn.

As he slowly comes awake, following that internal farmer's chrono, he has no idea of the horror that the day will bring. He has not become any wiser as he walks into the kitchen and plants a kiss on his wife's cheek. Nor has he gained any insight as to the upcoming events as he and his nephew walk outside to deal with Jawas that afternoon. At the moment, it is just any other day.

He does not know that over the past night, an escape pod crashed into the Dune Sea, and that, while there was no life in that escape pod, it contained creatures of his nightmares, creatures he had never hoped to see again.

When he is confronted with the droids, he will manage to keep a perfectly calm face and act as though he had not spent ten years living with the wretched C-3PO. He will almost manage to ignore the small blue Artoo unit that will plead for his attention, an Artoo unit which will strike a chord in his memory, reminding him of the day that his stepmother, Shmi Skywalker, whom he had loved as though she was his own mother, had been killed. He will momentarily glance at Luke and will hate him for all that his father has done. But the moment will soon pass, and he will see again the nephew that he loves as much as he had loved Shmi.

He will attempt to buy an Arfour unit instead of R2-D2, but fate and the Force will intervene, as usual, and he will end up buying the cursed droid.

Luke will, of course, spend the afternoon fiddling with the droids in the garage, and when he comes in for dinner, he will speak a name that Owen never wanted to hear again.

Obi-Wan Kenobi.

One of the droids will have told Luke of the old Jedi, and Luke will connect the name to his crazy old protector living out in the Jundland Wastes. Owen will shrug off his nephew's words, but will be left with the uncomfortable feeling that things will soon be changing, and not for the better. When Luke changes the subject to that of the Academy, Owen will snap at him and it will escalate into a large argument.

It will be the last conversation that the two have.

After shutting down for the night, Owen will join his wife in bed, and he will lie awake for a long hour as he mulls over the days events. When he finally falls asleep, his dreams will be unpleasant and haunted with images of his stepbrother.

The next morning, Luke will be gone, leaving no more evidence than a missing speeder, two lost droids, and the small wheel ruts of R2-D2. He will have left an excuse with Beru, but Owen will know with a crushing finality that it is over, and Luke has gone to see Kenobi. Even if he does return, like his father did, ten years later, he will be changed—corrupted—by the Jedi, or worse.

Owen learned years ago how to function during times of loss, and this day will be no different. He will go about his business on the farm, attempting to fix the units on the south range, until it is cut off by the sound of Beru's screaming.

He will turn and stare in fixated horror at the smoke rising from their home. His hand will sink to his side as he searches for the blaster he has kept with him ever since Shmi was taken captive, but it will be missing, a testament to his distracted state as he had prepared for work that morning.

He will know he has the ability to flee into the desert and possibly escape the wrath of the stormtroopers, but his sensible outlook will overrule this. He has been told a thousand times the dangers of wandering the desert, and has even experienced it a few times himself. He will find no refuge in the flat, sandy expanse; all he will find is heat sickness, starvation, sunburn, and madness. Besides, even though he might often treat her somewhat harshly, he cannot imagine life without Beru.

And so he will come running like the idealistic fool he always secretly knew himself to be, wielding a large club he will break off from one of the vaporators, screaming at the top of his lungs, makingly a doomed heroic last stand against the Empire. He will take no Stormtroopers out with him, and he will not distract them from any Rebellion secrets. The white monsters will shoot their blasters, and he will not get within a few meters of them. But he will die by his wife's side, where he always knew that he would.

And as he dies, he will offer up a silent prayer to whatever god may be listening that Obi-Wan might teach Luke well.

But right now, he does not know any of this. All he knows is that a group of Jawas have come selling droids, and he needs to find one that speaks Bocce.


End file.
